It’s no secret that the soulhead team loves TDE and Kendrick Lamar. This video is the reason why! When Kendrick released his new single “i,” it was meant to stimulate conversation and some skepticism. Yes, the song, laced with a beautiful Isley Brothers sample, is upbeat, snappy and fun. But how does it contribute to the identity of the Kendrick we know and love; the soothsayer of culture and 21st century descendant of that concrete rose.
Then the video arrived! Seizing the moment to dance through the streets, Lamar visually displays how that which plagues his home city of Compton, and within the Black community more broadly, can be dispelled with the power of music, dance, culture, and yes, love. This video is a call-to-arms, asking us to reinvest in ourselves as Black people. It couldn’t be any clearer that he is indeed speaking directly to Black folk, when Ron Isley himself makes the Cadillac cameo and Kendrick ends the video in his throne, with a queen braiding his crown.
Watch the video below. And celebrate yourself and your culture today.